FLORIDA SCOPE
LAW SCHOOL ANNOUNCES CENTER FOR JUSTICE
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enowned attorney Ben Crump and St. Thomas University College of Law announced Thursday an initiative to prepare new and diverse lawyers to lead the fight for justice. The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas University College of Law will provide innovative programming, symposia and training to catalyze the next generation of social justice engineers. The Center is initially funded by a $1 million leadership grant from Truist Financial Corporation through its Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund at The Winston-Salem Foundation. Thursday also marked the opening of a $35 million campaign by the College of Law to support ongoing transformative efforts to champion students from traditionally marginalized communities and diversify the legal profession. Attorney Crump has been a leader in civil rights litigation this century, representing the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others, testifying in the United States Congress as well as at the United Nations, and was recognized with accolades on the global stage by Time magazine. Throughout his career, he has vigorously defended the rights of marginalized people in a wide range of cases including environmental issues, healthcare, intellectual property, and workplace safety. Mr. Crump has been a consistent advocate for access to the courts in all cases irrespective of race, class, or economic status. “I believe America can be a country that lives up to its ideals, if we work for it,” Crump said. “Lawyers can be the social engineers, using the tools found in the Constitution, to expose the nature and depth of injustices — and to eliminate these injustices through education and advocacy. This Center will serve as a pipeline for historically marginalized students to get
From left to right: STU Board of Trustees Chair John Dooner, STU President David A. Armstrong, J.D., STU College of Law Dean Tamara Lawson, Benjamin L. Crump, EVP at Truist Financial Wendy McSweeney, Herman Russomano, J.D., and Truist South Florida Regional President Tony Coley. Photo and story courtey of The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas University College of Law.
their law degrees and give back to society, following the legacy of my personal hero, Thurgood Marshall.” The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice is intentionally located at the St. Thomas University College of Law, one of the nation’s most diverse law schools with established expertise in the areas of civil rights and intercultural human rights consistent with its Catholic mission.
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38 ONYX MAGAZINE
HBCU PRESIDENTS MEET WITH NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
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TAMPA’S RIVERWALK LANDS SECOND ON LIST OF BEST
News Channel 8 – Tampa; photos courtesy of The Tampa Riverwalk
THE QUAD
f you’ve ever been to downtown Tampa, you’ve likely come across the city’s signature riverwalk, but now, the scenic path is gaining national recognition as one of the best in America. After four weeks of online voting, the results are finally in. On Friday, Friends of the Riverwalk announced that the Tampa Riverwalk came in second place behind Detroit’s International Riverwalk on USA Today’s “America’s Top 10 Riverwalks.” “We’re grateful to everyone who voted and it was truly an honor to be nominated alongside some amazing cities and riverwalks,” MaryBeth Williams, executive director of Friends of the Riverwalk said in a statement. “Our vision is for the Tampa Riverwalk to be America’s iconic riverwalk and we are on our way to seeing that vision materialize. We hope this inspires people from all over the U.S. to include the Tampa Riverwalk in their travel plans and see for themselves what our amazing our city has to offer.” Although Tampa Bay was awarded the second-place feat, the riverwalk was up against some tough competition, including the Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky, and Smale Riverfront Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, which were ranked behind Tampa. Detroit International Riverwalk claimed the No. 1 spot last year in the “10Best Riverwalk readers’ poll” as well.
lorida A&M University (FAMU) President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., was among 18 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) chief executives who met at the White House with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in February. Robinson was the only HBCU president from Florida to attend. Sullivan met with the HBCU leaders to discuss a range of issues, including partnerships to advance national security, recruitment of graduates from their campuses for national security careers, and campus security, according to the White House. This was the first ever engagement with HBCU leaders by a national security advisor. HBCU presidents shared their desire to expand partnerships with federal agencies to support groundbreaking research and improve curriculums to meet national security needs. HBCU presidents discussed ongoing work connected to critical national security topics including data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence &
S machine learning, nano-technology, energy systems, and international affairs, the White House announced in a statement. “I was honored to be among HBCU leaders who were invited to discuss with the National Scurity advisor the vital role of these institutions to provide much needed talent through our academic programs and conduct research in areas critical to the well-being of this nation,” Robinson said of the visit. “Developing strategies to effectively engage our students, faculty and staff will lead to outcomes that advance democracy and freedom around the globe.” FAMU/Andrew Skerritt
SPECTRUM HIGHLIGHTS BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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ethune-Cookman University was among several Historically Black Colleges and Universities to be highlighted in a Black History feature curated by Spectrum News. Anchor Curtis McCloud spoke with the institutions about their past and where they are going. According to McCloud’s article, Historically Black colleges and universities — known as HBCUs — were established in the United States in the 19th century to provide undergraduate and graduate level educational opportunities for people of African descent. Black students were unwelcome at existing public and private institutions of higher education, despite the passing of specific legislation, which resulted in a lack of educational
EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY ADDS EIGHT NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
opportunities. It is important to chronicle the history. Reports can be found on Spectrum News 13 in Orlando.
takeholders and constituents of Edward Waters University (EWU) have witnessed a period of transformational growth and historic achievement over the past nearly five years in areas ranging from increased philanthropic investment and record student enrollment to greater financial viability and planned or under-construction new campus facilities and capital renovation projects. At the same time, EWU’s recent upward trajectory has also been marked by significant advancements in another critical area: the establishment of new academic programs. Accordingly, by the outset of the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year, the university plans to have introduced ten new academic programs to its academic curriculum since 2018, thereby increasing its overall degree offerings by 187.5% to fifteen total. An additional eight new degree programs are currently or slated to be on-boarded at EWU later this year, including six new undergraduate degree offerings and two new graduate degree(s) to include the following: • B.S. in Forensic Science • B.S. in Computer and Information Science; • B.S. in Social Work; • B.S. in Accounting; • B.S. in Public Health; • B.S. in Sports Management; • Nursing Pathways | BS & BSN Program • Master of Public Administration (MPA) • Master of Cyber Security (MS-Cybersecurity) According to Donna H. Oliver, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Edward Waters, these new academic offerings at EWU are not only progressive — in keeping with the Edward Waters ‘Eminence 2025’ strategic plan — they are also distinctive and relevant in that they are strategically focused upon aligning student interest with business, industry, and community work-force needs. Edward Waters University ONYX MAGAZINE 39
